Systems and methods for splitting a bill associated with a receipt

ABSTRACT

Systems and processes are disclosed for providing bill splitting processes for splitting a bill amount among a set of purchasers. In one example, the disclosed embodiments may receive receipt information reflecting a bill to be split among a group of purchasers. The disclosed embodiments may parse the receipt information to extract one or more items or services having monetary value and generate a list of the items or services included in the receipt. The disclosed embodiments may also identify the group of purchasers that will participate in paying a proportion of the bill associated with the receipt. Further, disclosed embodiments may be configured to determine a proportion of payment of the total amount of the bill for each purchaser in the group of purchasers. In addition, the disclosed embodiments may be configured to provide mechanisms that enable at least one purchaser to provide payment for the at least one purchaser&#39;s payment amount for the bill, such as providing interfaces that allow the user to pay electronically using e-commerce payment systems or financial service products.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/103,743, filed Dec.11, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/736,305, filed Dec. 12, 2012. All of the foregoing applications areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The disclosed embodiments generally relate to financial service productsand systems, and more particularly, to systems, processes, and computerprograms for determining the amount to split a bill associated with areceipt and assist a user to distribute the payment for the billassociated with the receipt.

Electronic personal payment transactions, such as person-to-personpayment and person-to-business payment, represent a rapidly growingindustry. There still exist, however, situations where people prefer tosplit bills and collect payment without benefiting from the conveniencethat electronic personal payment systems bring. For example, situationsmay arise in dealing with sharing payment when a group of friends havedinner together. One situation involves one person paying for the billin full, keeping the receipt of the bill, and collecting payment fromothers in the group. Another situation involves the group of friendsgoing through the trouble of determining how much each person has to payand coordinating with each other for making the payment in full. Stillanother involves the merchant having to split the bill evenly (or incertain proportions) among the group of friends.

SUMMARY

Systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are disclosed forproviding bill-splitting processes. In certain embodiments, systems,methods and computer programs are disclosed for splitting a billassociated with a receipt among a group of purchasers and assisting eachof the group of purchasers to make the payment. Disclosed embodimentsinclude mechanisms that receive a receipt of a bill to be split among agroup of purchasers. The disclosed embodiments may parse information inthe receipt to extract one or more items having monetary value. Thedisclosed embodiments may also identify the group of purchasersresponsible for paying the bill associated with the receipt anddetermine how the bill is to be distributed between the group ofpurchasers based on the extracted one or more items. The disclosedembodiments may also generate and provide a link to a payment web pageto each of the purchasers for collecting the distributed portion of thebill. Accordingly, some embodiments provide mechanisms that allowpurchasers to easily distribute the payment of a bill associated with areceipt and enable each of the purchasers to pay the portion of the billhe/she is responsible for.

Consistent with some disclosed embodiments, tangible computer-readablestorage media may store program instructions that are executable by oneor more processors to implement any of the processes disclosed herein.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only,and are not restrictive of the disclosed embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is diagram of an exemplary system that may be used to implementdisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1B is diagram of an exemplary client that may be used to implementdisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary receipt splitting process flow consistent withthe disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a screenshot of exemplary interface screen for parsinginformation in the receipt to extract items having monetary valuesconsistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a screenshot of exemplary interface screen for obtaining thecontact information of a group of purchasers consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a screenshot of exemplary interface screen for confirming thepurchasers consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a screenshot of exemplary interface screen for sending a webpage to a purchaser for collecting the payment for a bill consistentwith the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a screenshot of exemplary interface screen for a purchaser tomake the payment for a bill consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

It is to be understood that the following detailed description isexemplary and explanatory only and is not restrictive of disclosedembodiments. For example, steps or processes disclosed herein are notlimited to being performed in the order described, but may be performedin any order, and that some steps may be omitted, consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examplesof which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and disclosedherein. Wherever convenient, the same reference numbers may be used inthe drawings and the following description to refer to the same orsimilar parts. Also, similarly named elements may perform similarfunctions and may be similarly designed. Numerous details are set forthto provide an understanding of the embodiments described herein. In somecases, the embodiments may be practiced without these details. In otherinstances, well-known techniques and/or components may not be describedin detail to avoid obscuring described embodiments. While severalexemplary embodiments and features are described herein, modifications,adaptations, and other implementations may be possible, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, thefollowing detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead,the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

FIG. 1A shows an exemplary system 100 configured to perform one or moreprocesses consistent with the disclosed embodiments. In certain aspects,one or more components of system 100 may be configured to execute one ormore software processes to provide one or more aspects of the disclosedembodiments. The components and arrangement shown in FIG. 1A are notintended to be limiting to the disclosed embodiments as the componentsthat may be used to implement certain disclosed processes and featuresmay vary.

In accordance with disclosed embodiments, system 100 may includefinancial service provider 110, receipt splitter 102, network 112, oneor more clients 114. System 100 may include other components to provide,collect, process, and transmit information consistent with the disclosedembodiments.

Receipt splitter 102 may be a computer-based system including computersystem components, such as one or more servers, desktop computers,workstations, memory devices, and/or internal network(s) connecting thecomponents. In some embodiments, receipt splitter 102 may be a serverthat includes one or more processor(s) 104, memory devices, such asmemory 108, and interface components 106. Receipt splitter 102 may be asingle server or may be configured as a distributed computer systemincluding multiple servers or computers that interoperate to perform oneor more of the processes and functionalities associated with thedisclosed embodiments. In certain embodiments, a receipt splitter servermay be implemented as software located on a single physical processingdevice, or may be multiple software server programs stored on the sameor multiple memory devices in a distributed manner.

In certain embodiments, receipt splitter 102 may be a server that isassociated with financial service provider 110. Financial serviceprovider 110 may represent, for example, a bank, a merchant, a creditcard provider, or any other entity that provides financial services tocustomers. In some aspects, financial service provider 110 may be aninstitution or an individual that collects and processes the payment fora bill associated with a receipt, and transfers the payment to one ormore intended payees. In other aspects, the functionalities performed byreceipt splitter 102 as disclosed herein may be software that isexecuted by one or more processors associated with financial serviceprovider 110. That is, instead of being computer-based system withhardware and software, receipt splitter 102 may represent softwareinstructions stored in a memory (without hardware components) that areexecuted by a processor associated with financial service provider 110.The disclosed embodiments are not limited to receipt splitter 102 beingassociated with a financial service provider 110. For example, receiptsplitter 102 may be associated with other types of entities, such as amerchant, retailer, or any other entity that may provide receiptsplitting processes consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

Processor(s) 104 may be one or more known processing devices, such as amicroprocessor from the Pentium™ family manufactured by Intel™ or theTurion™ family manufactured by AMD™. Processor(s) 104 may include asingle core or multiple core processor system that provides the abilityto perform parallel processes simultaneously. For example, processor(s)104 may be a single core processor that is configured with virtualprocessing technologies known to those skilled in the art. In someembodiments, processor(s) 104 may use logical processors tosimultaneously execute and control multiple processes. Processor(s) 104may implement virtual machine technologies, or other similar knowntechnologies to provide the ability to execute, control, run,manipulate, store, etc. multiple software processes, applications,programs, etc. In other embodiments, processor(s) 104 may include amultiple-core processor arrangement (e.g., dual or quad core) that isconfigured to provide parallel processing functionalities to allowreceipt splitter 102 to execute multiple processes simultaneously. Oneof ordinary skill in the art would understand that other types ofprocessor arrangements could be implemented that provide for thecapabilities disclosed herein.

Receipt splitter 102 may also include one or more storage devicesconfigured to store instructions used by processor(s) 104 (or othercomponents) to perform certain functions related to the disclosedembodiments. In one example, receipt splitter 102 may include memory 108that includes instructions to enable processor(s) 104 to execute one ormore applications, such as server applications, network communicationprocesses, or any other type of application or software available oncomputer systems. Alternatively, the instructions, application programs,etc. may be stored in an external storage or available from a memoryover a network. The one or more storage devices may be a volatile ornon-volatile, magnetic, semiconductor, tape, optical, removable,non-removable, or other type of storage device or tangiblecomputer-readable medium.

Methods, systems, and computer programs consistent with the disclosedembodiments are not limited to separate programs or computers configuredto perform dedicated tasks. For example, receipt splitter 102 mayinclude a memory that may include one or more programs to perform one ormore functions for multiple user display control. Moreover, processor(s)104 may execute one or more programs located remotely from system 100.For example, system 100 may access one or more remote programs, that,when executed, perform functions related to disclosed embodiments.Memory 108 may include one or more memory devices that store data andinstructions used to perform one or more features of the disclosedembodiments. Memory 108 may also include any combination of one or moredatabases controlled by memory controller devices (e.g., server(s),etc.) or software, such as document management systems, Microsoft SQLdatabases, SharePoint databases, Oracle™ databases, Sybase™ databases,or other relational databases.

Receipt splitter 102 may also be communicatively connected to one ormore memory devices (e.g., databases (not shown)) locally or through anetwork. The remote memory devices may be configured to storeinformation and may be accessed and/or managed by receipt splitter 102.By way of example, the remote memory devices may be document managementsystems, Microsoft SQL database, SharePoint databases, Oracle™databases, Sybase™ databases, or other relational databases. Systems,processes, computer programs, and tangible computer-readable medium ofdisclosed embodiments, however, are not limited to separate databases oreven to the use of a database.

Receipt splitter 102 may also include one or more I/O devices that maycomprise one or more interfaces for receiving signals or input frominput devices and providing signals or output to one or more outputdevices that allow data to be received and/or transmitted by receiptsplitter 102. For example, receipt splitter 102 may include interfacecomponents 106 that may provide interfaces to one or more input devices,such as one or more keyboards, mouse devices, and the like, that enablereceipt splitter 102 to receive data from one or more users such asclient(s) 114. Furthermore, interface components 106 may includecomponents configured to send and receive information between componentsof receipt splitter 102 or external to receipt splitter 102, such asnetwork 112.

Network 112 may be any type of network that provides communications,exchanges information, and/or facilitates the exchange of informationbetween receipt splitter 102 and client(s) 114. In one embodiment,network 112 may be the Internet, a Local Area Network, or other suitableconnection(s) that enables system 100 to send and receive informationbetween the components of system 100.

Client(s) 114 may be one or more computer systems. For example,client(s) 114 may include a general purpose or notebook computer, amobile device with computing ability, a server, a desktop computer,tablet, or any combination of these computers and/or affiliatedcomponents. For example, client(s) 114 may be a smartphone, which isconfigured to perform one or more of the functions consistent with thedisclosed embodiments. In some embodiments, each client may be acomputer system or device that is operated by a user who is a customeror a potential customer of financial service provider 110. Client(s) 114may be configured with storage that stores one or more operating systemsthat perform known operating system functions when executed by one ormore processors. By way of example, the operating systems may includeMicrosoft Windows™, Unix™, Linux™, Apple™ Computers type operatingsystems, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) type operating systems, suchas Microsoft CE™, or other types of operating systems. Accordingly,embodiments of the disclosed invention will operate and function withcomputer systems running any type of operating system. Client(s) 114 mayalso include communication software that, when executed by a processor,provides communications with network 112, such as Web browser software,tablet or smart hand held device networking software, etc.

In certain embodiments, receipt splitter 102 may execute software thatprovides a receipt splitter application to client 114 for providingreceipt splitter processes consistent with the disclosed embodiments.FIG. 1B shows an exemplary client 114 including a processor(s) 204 and amemory 208 including a receipt splitter application 202. In one aspect,receipt splitter 102 may send a receipt splitter mobile application toclient 114 (which may be a mobile device). Alternatively, client 114 mayreceive a receipt splitter application from another source, such as amobile application store via online application services. Client 114 maybe configured to receive and store (e.g., in memory 208) the receiptsplitter mobile application for execution to perform certain processesconsistent with certain disclosed embodiments. Client 114 may executethe receipt splitter application via, for example, processor 204, inresponse to a user input (e.g., selecting an icon representing thereceipt splitter application on their mobile device). Other manners toinitiate execution of the receipt splitter application may also beimplemented depending on the type of device that the applicationsoftware is running on.

Aspects of the disclosed embodiments are disclosed in an exemplaryscenario involving a group of purchasers who received a receipt from arestaurant business. However, aspects of the disclosed embodiments maybe implemented to perform purchase splitting processes consistent withthat disclosed herein for other types of documents, such as invoices,electronic invoices, bills, etc., payment requests from other types ofentities or organizations, businesses, individuals (e.g., personalpayment transactions between individuals), contractors. Thus, a receiptis not limited to a receipt provided by a retailer, a merchant, or thelike (e.g., a restaurant bill, etc.), that provides items or services. Areceipt may include other types of documents that may reflect a summaryof items or services that were or may be provided, such as a documentreflecting down payment for one or more items or services, etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary process flow for performing receiptsplitting processes consistent with the disclosed embodiments, such as,for example, splitting a bill based on the information in a receipt andcollecting the payments associated with the bill from a group ofpurchasers. One or more processes of FIG. 2 may be performed by receiptsplitter 102 or may be performed by receipt splitter application 202executing on a client 114, or a combination of both.

Certain disclosed embodiments may be configured to perform processesincluding receiving a receipt from a user (some aspects are discussed ingreater detail at step 210), parsing the information in the receipt andextract items having monetary value (some aspects are discussed ingreater detail at step 220), identifying a group of purchasersresponsible for paying the bill associated with the receipt (someaspects are discussed in greater detail at step 230), splitting the billamong the group of purchasers (some aspects are discussed in greaterdetail at step 240), and collected the payment from each of the group ofpurchasers (some aspects are discussed in greater detail at step 250).

In one embodiment, client 114 may be configured to execute receiptsplitter application 202 to allow a user, who may be one of thepurchasers in a group of purchasers, to collect receipt information froma receipt whose underlying bill will be split among the group ofpurchasers (e.g., step 210). Receipt splitter application 202 mayreceive the receipt or information relating to the receipt in differentformats. For example, the user of client 114 may use image capturemechanisms included on client 114 that enable the user to capture animage (e.g., a digital photograph) of the receipt. In embodiments wherereceipt splitter 102 performs certain operations consistent with thedisclosed embodiments, client 114 may send the captured image or receiptinformation to receipt splitter 102. For example, client 114 (e.g., asmartphone or a tablet) may send an electronic copy of the capturedimage of the receipt to receipt splitter 102.

In other embodiments, receipt splitter application 202 may receiveinformation relating to the receipt in a barcode format. For example,the user of client 114 may use image capture mechanisms included onclient 114 to capture barcode encoding information relating to areceipt, and send the captured barcode to receipt splitter 102. If thebarcode is already stored on client 114, receipt splitter application202 may be configured to generate an interface that is displayed onclient 114 of the user that allows the user to upload the electronicbarcode and send it to receipt splitter 102. In other aspects, client114 (e.g., a smartphone or a tablet) may use mechanisms included onclient 114 that enable the user to scan the barcode of the receipt andsend it to receipt splitter 102. In certain embodiments, receiptsplitter application 202 may execute software that causes client 114 tostore the receipt image (or receipt information) in a memory on client114. Receipt splitter application 202 may also execute softwareprocesses that cause client 114 to perform image processes on the image,such as OCR processes, to produce receipt information usable by receiptsplitter application 202 (or receipt splitter 102). In some embodiments,receipt splitter application 202 may execute software processes (e.g.,QR-Code Readers) that cause client 114 to perform barcode readingprocesses on the barcode provided by the user of client 114, to producereceipt information encoded in the barcode usable by receipt splitterapplication 202 (or receipt splitter 102).

In one aspect, receipt splitter application 202 may use the receiptinformation produced by the image process(es) (e.g., OCR process) toparse and extract certain information from the receipt (e.g., step 220).In some aspects, receipt splitter application 202 may parse theinformation in the receipt to extract the line items and theircorresponding monetary values. For example, receipt splitter application202 may be configured to extract the purchased items, together withtaxes and service charges (e.g., tips), and the total value on thereceipt. In other aspects, receipt splitter application 202 may parsethe information in the receipt to extract information relating to anysurvey that may be conducted. For example, if the receipt includes awebsite address on the receipt soliciting a user to participate in asurvey, receipt splitter application 202 may be configured to retrievethis information, and generate an active link to the website that whenselected directs the user to the website to participate in the survey.In other aspects, receipt splitter application 202 may be configured toparse the information in the receipt to extract information relating toany reward or loyalty program (e.g., coupon, discount, reward points, orthe like). FIG. 3 shows a process flow of an exemplary receiptcollection process consistent with disclosed embodiments.

In certain embodiments, receipt splitter application 202 may beconfigured to perform process(es) that identifies the purchases includedin the group of purchasers who may be responsible for, or involved with,paying the bill associated with the receipt (e.g., step 230). In oneaspect, receipt splitter application 202 may be configured to generatean interface that is displayed on client 114 of the user that allows theuser to input identification information for one or more otherpurchasers who will split the receipt with the user. The interface mayinclude input mechanisms that allow the user to input the name and/orcontact information (e.g., email, phone number, social networkhandle(s), etc.) of each purchaser. FIG. 4 shows a diagram of anexemplary interface that may be provided by receipt splitter application202 that includes the name and phone number (e.g., mobile phone number)of the other purchasers.

In other embodiments, to minimize the user's efforts of providingpurchaser identification information, receipt splitter application 202may be configured to determine suggested one or more candidates that mayparticipate in paying the bill associated with the receipt. For example,receipt splitter application 202 may perform software processes thatintegrate with one or more social networking sites (e.g., Twitter,Facebook, LinkedIn, or the like) to obtain information regarding whomight present at the location of client 114 associated with the user atthe time when the user initiates or uses the receipt splitting processesof receipt splitter application 202. Thus, receipt splitter application202 may be configured to identify one or more candidates based on theuser's (or client 114's) location. For example, when the user initiatesthe execution of receipt splitter application 202 installed on client114, receipt splitter application 202 may be configured to detect theuser's location.

In one aspect, receipt splitter application 202 may request and receiveGPS location information from a GPS process installed and executing onclient 114 to determine the location of the user (or client 114). Forexample, client 114 may include and execute location processes such asfoursquare, Google Latitude, and the like. Based on the detectedlocation, receipt splitter application 202 may provide the user's (orclient 114's) location to receipt splitter 102. In certain embodiments,one or more other purchasers with the user at the purchasing eventassociated with the receipt (e.g., who are with the user and will splitthe bill with the user) may also use a respective client device (e.g.,client 114) having a corresponding receipt splitter application 202installed. The receipt splitter application 202 executing on the client114 associated with the one or more purchasers may also send to receiptsplitter 102 GPS location information identifying the location of therespective purchaser(s). Receipt splitter 202 may receive the locationinformation for the user and the one or more purchasers and determinewhether the one or more purchasers are within a certain distance of theuser (e.g., within a few feet, at the same address, etc.). Receiptsplitter 102 may then determine and collect identification informationfor those purchaser(s) and send them to the receipt splitter application202 on client 114 of the user. Receipt splitter application 202executing on the user's client 114 may receive the purchaseridentification information and integrate that information into a list ofcandidates for the user to view on a display, such as that shown in FIG.4.

In some embodiments, to ensure the accuracy of the suggestedcandidate(s), receipt splitter application 202 may be configured toperform process(es) that allows the user to confirm whether a candidatepurchaser is to participate in the receipt splitting process. Forexample, receipt splitter application 202 may be configured to performprocess(es) that enables the user to add and/or delete one or moresuggested candidates. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary interface including auser's confirmation of a candidate purchaser (e.g., check box for“Bryan”). Other mechanisms for confirming the one or more participatingpurchasers may be implemented, and the disclosed embodiments are notlimited to the features exemplified in FIGS. 4 and 5, or any otherinterfaces described herein. In one aspect, receipt splitter application202 may include in the list of candidates the user associated withclient 114 so that the user can select himself or herself as aparticipating purchaser. In other aspects, receipt splitter application202 may automatically identify the user and include the user in the listparticipating purchasers. For instance, in one aspect, receipt splitterapplication 202 may include in the interface the name and contactinformation for the user along with the other candidate purchasers, withthe user's check box automatically selected by receipt splitterapplication 202.

Aspects of the disclosed embodiments enable a user (or the group ofpurchasers) to select how the receipt is to be distributed. In oneaspect, receipt splitter application 202 may present an option in aninterface displayed on the user's client 114 that requests that the userconfirm that the bill for the receipt will be split evenly. FIG. 5 showsan exemplary “Split Evenly” option that the user may select. Otheroptions may be offered by the disclosed embodiments. For example,receipt splitter application 202 may provide an option for the user toselect a percentage for each participating purchaser will contribute.Thus, the disclosed embodiments allow the bill to be split in one ormore ways including, for example, splitting evenly or by percentage,assigning one or more purchased items and related charges to one or morepurchasers in the group, or the like.

In certain aspects, the disclosed embodiments may be configured toprovide a mechanism that allows the user and the group of purchasers tobe involved in how to split the bill associated with the receipt. Forexample, receipt splitter application 102 may be configured to send toeach client 114 having a receipt splitter application 202 associatedwith the purchasers (including the user), the itemized list of itemsgenerated from the receipt capture processes disclosed above. In suchaspects, the receipt splitter application 202 on the client 114 for theuser may have sent a copy of the itemized list to receipt splitter 102,or receipt splitter 102 may have generated the itemized list based on animage of the receipt provided by the client 114. The receipt splitterapplication 202 on each client 114 for the purchaser(s) may display, onan interface, the purchased items and any related charges (e.g., taxes,service charges) associated with the receipt. The receipt splitterapplication 202 on each client 114 may enable each purchaser to chooseone or more items that he/she will be responsible for paying.Additionally or alternatively, the receipt splitter application 202 foreach purchaser may be configured to allow the purchaser to enter theamount of money he/she should be responsible for. Each receipt splitterapplication 202 may send the selections from the purchasers to receiptsplitter 102, which processes the information to generate a finalreceipt splitter list for the receipt that indicates the amount owed byeach purchaser.

In other embodiments, receipt splitter 102 may be configured to performthe processes described above. For example, receipt splitter application202 may generate and provide a link to a website or other locationassociated with receipt splitter 102 that the purchaser, via a client114, will be directed to when selected. Receipt splitter 102 maygenerate an interface that is displayed on each purchaser's client 114that includes the itemized list of items and allows each purchaser toselect the items that they will pay, or to enter in the amount of moneythe purchaser may contribute to the cost of the bill for the receipt.

Based on the selection of how the bill will be split, receipt splitterapplication 202 (or receipt splitter 102) may perform processes to splitthe bill associated with the receipt (e.g., step 240). In one aspect,the disclosed embodiments may use contact information for each purchaserto facilitate payment for the bill (e.g., step 250).

In one aspect, receipt splitter application 202 may be configured toobtain the contact information for each of the selected one or morepurchasers who may participate in the receipt splitting process. In oneaspect, receipt splitter application 202 may use the contact informationprovided in the list of purchasers (e.g., FIG. 5). In other embodiments,receipt splitter application 202 may execute that obtains purchasercontact information via other sources, such as social networking sites,the user's contact list stored on client 114, etc.

Based on the determined way of splitting the bill associated with thereceipt, receipt splitter application 202 may be configured to collectpayment from the purchasers (including the user) (e.g., step 250). Insome embodiments, receipt splitter application 202 may be configured togenerate an interface that is displayed on the user's (or purchaser's)client 114 including information reflecting the amount owed by the useror purchaser. For example, the interface may include informationreflecting the purchased items, the total value on the receipt, and/orthe total amount the particular user/purchaser should be responsiblefor. FIG. 6 shows an exemplary receipt splitting interface may beprovided to a user indicating the amount owed by the user. Other typesof interfaces and information provided in the interfaces may beimplemented and provided by the disclosed embodiments.

Certain disclosed embodiments provide mechanisms that enable theuser/purchaser to make the payment for the distributed bill. In certainaspects, each client 114 including a receipt splitter application 202may execute processes that receive the distribution amount to apply tothe respective purchaser, and generate an interface that enables theuser to provide electronic payment for the distributed amount assignedto that purchaser. In other aspects, receipt splitter 102 may providesimilar functionalities by providing a website or other medium that thepurchaser(s) can access and use to facilitate payment.

For example, receipt splitter application 202 may generate interfacesthat allow the user/purchaser to select the type of electronic paymentmethod to use to pay the bill. FIG. 6 shows in the exemplary interfacean option for the user to select that will initiate electronic payment(e.g., “Pay Now”). Upon selection, receipt splitter application 202 mayprovide an interface that allows the user to select the type ofelectronic payment service or financial service product to use to paythe distributed amount of the bill for the user/purchaser. FIG. 7 showsan exemplary interface that may be provided and displayed via client 114to allow a user/purchaser to make payment for their distributed amountfor the bill associated with the receipt.

Thus, for example, receipt splitter application 202 may be configured toprovide options for the user to provide payment via one or more wayssuch as, for example, credit card or debit card (which may be associatedwith financial service provider 110), PayPal™, reward points, or anyother known method of electronic payment. In such embodiments, receiptsplitter application 202 may generate an interface to collect paymentinformation from the purchaser. The disclosed embodiments may use knownelectronic payment processes to collect payment from the purchaser.

In certain embodiments, receipt splitter 102 may be configured toperform software processes consistent with the functionalities disclosedabove.

In certain aspects, receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitterapplication 202 may be configured to perform other functions consistentwith the disclosed embodiments. For example, the user of client 114 maymake a payment request on client 114 without providing a receiptconsistent with the disclosed embodiments. For example, receipt splitterapplication 202 may be configured to generate an interface that isdisplayed on client 114 of the user that allows the user to provideinformation relating to the bill to be split (e.g., the event triggeringthe bill, the monetary value to be split). In some aspects, receiptsplitter application 202 may execute software that allows the user ofclient 114 to send information relating to the event triggering the billwhen making the payment request. For example, the user of client 114 mayupload a ticket for a special event that triggers the bill (e.g.,sports, concerts, theater).

As another example, if a receipt that was provided by the user to client114 included information reflecting a website address, such as anaddress for the user to conduct a survey, receipt splitter 102 and/orreceipt splitter application 202 may be configured to extract thewebsite address information from the receipt when processing the receiptinformation (e.g., after OCR processes completed, after QR-Code readingprocesses completed). The survey may be provided in the form of abarcode or text reflecting the website address. Receipt splitter 102and/or receipt splitter application 202 may perform processes thatrecognizes the address information and generates a link to the addressthat may be included in an interface displayed by client 114. In otherembodiments, receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitter application202 may be configured to generate and send a notification to the userusing other mediums, such as an email, SMS messaging, etc. In otherembodiments, receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitter application202 may be configured to receive and store the results of any surveythat the user may have performed based on the provided website address.For example, if conducting the survey entitles the user to some rewards(e.g., discount, gift card, loyalty points, etc.), receipt splitter 102and/or receipt splitter application 202 may be configured to storereward information that may be used by receipt splitter 102 and/orreceipt splitter application 202 at another time the user performsreceipt splitting processes consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

As another example, if the receipt contains information relating to areward program for future purchases (e.g., discount, coupon), receiptsplitter 102 and/or receipt splitter application 202 may be configuredto identify and extract the information relating to the reward program.Based on this information, receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitterapplication 202 may be configured to generate an interface for displayon client 114 to distribute the reward to the purchasers participatingin the receipt splitting process for paying the bill associated with thereceipt. The client 114 associated with each purchaser may receive anotification that the user has distributed the reward to the purchaservia receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitter application 202. Incertain aspects, receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitterapplication 202 may be configured to store the reward information in amemory for use by one or more accounts associated with the participatingpurchasers for possible application to future purchase(s).

As another example, receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitterapplication 202 may be configured to generate and provide for display onclient 114 one or more commercial messages. For example, before orduring a receipt splitting event associated with a bill to be split,receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitter application 202 may beconfigured to generate and provide a message that includes informationrelating to one or more promotional offer (e.g., discount) if the userspends a certain amount of money, purchases a certain item or service,etc.

In another embodiment, receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitterapplication 202 may be configured to perform processes that integratewith social networking sites (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) toperform functions that allow the user to communicate via these socialnetworking sites. For example, receipt splitter 102 and/or receiptsplitter application 202 may perform processes that enable the user toprovide comments regarding whether the user likes or dislikes thebusiness associated with the receipt, and/or to check whether there aresome special deals provided by the business. Receipt splitter 102 and/orreceipt splitter application 202 may provide the comments to the socialnetworking site of the user's choice, or provide a link directly to thesocial networking site that the user may use to access and use thatsite.

In other embodiments, receipt splitter 102 may be configured to provideprocesses that allow the user to rate his/her experience relating toreceipt splitting processes consistent with the disclosed embodiments.In some embodiments, receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitterapplication 202 may be configured to perform processes that allow theuser to share his/her experiences using social networking sites or otherbroadcast mediums.

In one embodiment, receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitterapplication 202 may be configured to perform gamification functions. Forexample, receipt splitter 102 and/or receipt splitter application 202may perform process(es) that determines and generates one or moreincentives (both virtual and/or real) for rewarding the user for usingthe receipt splitting application software on client 114. Virtualrewards may include earning status such as, for example, agold/silver/bronze or superstar/starlet/standing ratings associated withthe user and/or the user's financial service account used to pay for theportion of the bill using the receipt splitting processes. Real andvirtual rewards may also be given for sharing the bill splittingexperience via social networking sites and recommending it to otherentities or users (e.g., friends, business partners, etc.). Thedisclosed embodiments may execute software that may convert virtualrewards to real awards based on the rating level. For example, whenreceipt splitter 102 or receipt splitter application 202 determines thatthe user has used the receipt splitter application 202 a certain numberof times, and thus has reached a certain virtual reward level, theapplication may provide or notify client 114 of real reward offers (orinform receipt splitter 102 to initiate or provide a real reward offer),such as discounts, monetary transfers, coupons, etc.

The disclosed embodiments may be associated to different types offinancial services. Any financial institution that provides financialservice accounts to customers may employ systems, methods, and articlesof manufacture consistent with certain principles related to thedisclosed embodiments. In addition, other types of entities, such as amerchant, retailer, or other type corporate entity that may also employsystems, methods, and articles of manufacture consistent with certaindisclosed embodiments.

Furthermore, although aspects of the disclosed embodiments are describedas being associated with data stored in memory and other tangiblecomputer-readable storage mediums, one skilled in the art willappreciate that these aspects can also be stored on and executed frommany types of tangible computer-readable media, such as secondarystorage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, or CD-ROM, or otherforms of RAM or ROM. Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments are notlimited to the above described examples, but instead is defined by theappended claims in light of their full scope of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for providing receipt splittingprocesses, comprising: a processor; and a storage device storinginstructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system toperform operations comprising: receiving receipt information reflectinga bill for one or more purchased items or services, the bill including atotal monetary amount; integrating with one or more social networkingsites of a user; obtaining from the one or more social networking siteslocation information for one or more individuals associated with theuser; determining location information indicating a location of theuser; identifying a subset of individuals present and associated withthe user as candidate purchasers based at least on the locationinformation of the user and the location information of the one or moreindividuals associated with the user, wherein the candidate purchaserscomprise one or more associated individuals located within apredetermined distance of the user; transmitting, to the user, displaydata regarding information identifying the candidate purchasers;receiving a selection of one or more purchasers identified from thedisplay data, wherein the selected purchasers comprise one or more ofthe candidate purchasers; and enabling the one or more selectedpurchasers to access an interface provided by the system that includesfunctionality to enable the one or more selected purchasers to make anelectronic payment for a portion of the total monetary amount.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the operations further include parsing thereceipt information to extract website address information relating to asurvey from the receipt information.
 3. The system of claim 2, whereinthe operations further include providing a website link to a websiteassociated with the survey based on the extracted website addressinformation.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein determining locationinformation indicating the location of the user comprises requesting andreceiving GPS location information from a GPS process.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the operations further include displaying data, to theuser, regarding information identifying the user with the candidatepurchasers; and wherein the selected purchasers further comprise theuser.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further includereceiving the receipt information in at least one of a plurality offormats, the plurality of formats comprising barcode and image formats.7. A system for providing receipt splitting processes, comprising: aprocessor; and a storage device storing instructions that, when executedby the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:receiving receipt information reflecting a bill for one or morepurchased items or services, the bill including a total monetary amount;generating an itemized list of the one or more purchased items orservices based on the receipt information; integrating with one or moresocial networking sites of a user; obtaining from the one or more socialnetworking sites location information for one or more individualsassociated with the user; determining location information indicating alocation of the user; identifying a subset of individuals present andassociated with the user as candidate purchasers based at least on thelocation information of the user and the location information of the oneor more individuals associated with the user, wherein the candidatepurchasers comprise one or more associated individuals located within apredetermined distance of the user; transmitting, to the user, displaydata regarding information identifying the candidate purchasers;receiving a selection of one or more purchasers identified from thedisplay data, wherein the selected purchasers comprise one or more ofthe candidate purchasers; and enabling the one or more selectedpurchasers to access an interface provided by the system that includesfunctionality to enable the one or more selected purchasers to make anelectronic payment for an amount based on the itemized list.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the operations further include parsing thereceipt information to extract website address information relating to asurvey from the receipt information.
 9. The system of claim 7, whereindetermining location information indicating the location of the usercomprises requesting and receiving GPS location information from a GPSprocess.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations furtherinclude displaying, to the user, data regarding information identifyingthe user with the candidate purchasers; and wherein the selectedpurchasers further comprise the user.
 11. The system of claim 7, whereinthe operations further include receiving the receipt information in atleast one of a plurality of formats, the plurality of formats comprisingbarcode and image formats.
 12. A method for performing receiptsplitting, comprising: receiving, by one or more processors, receiptinformation reflecting a bill for one or more purchased items orservices, the bill including a total monetary amount; integrating, bythe one or more processors, with one or more social networking sites ofa user; obtaining from the one or more social networking sites locationinformation for one or more individuals associated with the user;determining, by the one or more processors, location informationindicating a location of the user; identifying, by the one or moreprocessors, a subset of individuals present and associated with the useras candidate purchasers based at least on the received locationinformation of the user and the location information of the one or moreindividuals associated with the user, wherein the candidate purchaserscomprises one or more associated individuals located within apredetermined distance of the user; transmitting, to the user, by theone or more processors, display data regarding information identifyingthe candidate purchasers; receiving a selection of one or morepurchasers identified from the display data, wherein the selectedpurchasers comprise one or more of the candidate purchasers; andenabling, by the one or more processors, the one or more selectedpurchasers to access an interface provided by the one or more processorsthat includes functionality to enable the one or more selectedpurchasers to make an electronic payment for a portion of the totalmonetary amount.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising parsingthe receipt information to extract website address information relatingto a survey from the receipt information.
 14. The method of claim 12,wherein determining location information indicating the location of theuser comprises requesting and receiving GPS location information from aGPS process.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the method furthercomprises displaying, to the user, data regarding informationidentifying the user with the candidate purchasers; and wherein theselected purchasers further comprise the user.
 16. The method of claim12, wherein the receipt information is in at least one of a plurality offormats, the plurality of formats comprising barcode and image formats.17. A method for performing receipt splitting, comprising: receiving, byone or more processors, receipt information reflecting a bill for one ormore purchased items or services, the bill including a total monetaryamount; generating, by the one or more processors, an itemized list ofthe one or more purchased items or services based on the receiptinformation; integrating, by the one or more processors, with one ormore social networking sites of a user; obtaining from the one or moresocial networking sites location information for one or more individualsassociated with the user; determining, by the one or more processors,location information indicating a location of the user; identifying, bythe one or more processors, a subset of individuals present andassociated with the user as candidate purchasers based at least on thereceived location information of the user and the location informationof the one or more individuals associated with the user, wherein thecandidate purchasers comprises one or more associated individualslocated within a predetermined distance of the user; transmitting, tothe user, by the one or more processors, display data regardinginformation identifying the candidate purchasers; receiving a selectionof one or more purchasers identified from the display data, wherein theselected purchasers comprise one or more of the candidate purchasers;and enabling, by the one or more processors, the one or more selectedpurchasers to access an interface provided by the one or more processorsthat includes functionality to enable the one or more selectedpurchasers to make an electronic payment for an amount based on theitemized list.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising parsingthe receipt information to extract website address information relatingto a survey from the receipt information.
 19. The method of claim 17,wherein determining location information indicating the location of theuser comprises requesting and receiving GPS location information from aGPS process.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the method furthercomprises displaying, to the user, data regarding informationidentifying the user with the candidate purchasers; and wherein theselected purchasers further comprise the user.